Excerpt, ek′sėrpt, or ek-sėrpt′, n. a passage selected from a book, an extract.—v.t. Excerpt′, to select: to extract.—ns. Excerpt′ing, Excerp′tion; Excerp′tor. [L. excerptum, pa.p. of excerpĕreex, out, carpĕre, to pick.]

Excess, ek-ses′, n. a going beyond what is usual or proper: intemperance: that which exceeds: the degree by which one thing exceeds another.—adj. Exces′sive, beyond what is right and proper: immoderate: violent.—adv. Exces′sively.—n. Exces′siveness.—Carry to excess, to do too much. [L. excessusexcedĕre, excessum, to go beyond.]

Exchange, eks-chānj′, v.t. to give or leave one place or thing for another: to give and take mutually: to barter.—n. the giving and taking one thing for another: barter: the thing exchanged: process by which accounts between distant parties are settled by bills instead of money: the difference between the value of money in different places: the building where merchants, &c., meet for business.—n. Exchangeabil′ity.—adj. Exchange′able, that may be exchanged.—n. Exchan′ger, one who exchanges or practises exchange: (B.) a money-changer, a banker. [O. Fr. eschangier (Fr. échanger)—Low L. excambiāre—L. ex, out, cambīre, to barter.]

Excheat, eks-chēt′, n. (Spens.). Same as Escheat.

Exchequer, eks-chek′ėr, n. a superior court which had formerly to do only with the revenue, but now also with common law, so named from the chequered cloth which formerly covered the table, and on which the accounts were reckoned.—v.t. to proceed against a person in the Court of Exchequer.—Exchequer bill, bill issued at the Exchequer, under the authority of acts of parliament, as security for money advanced to the government.—Chancellor of the Exchequer (see Chancellor); Court of Exchequer, originally a revenue court, became a division of the High Court of Justice in 1875, and is now merged in the Queen's Bench Division. [From root of check, checker.]

Excide, ek-sid′, v.t. to cut off. [L. excidĕreex, out, cædĕre, to cut.]

Excipient, ek-sip′i-ent, n. a substance mixed with a medicine to give it consistence, or used as a vehicle for its administration.

Excise, ek-sīz′, n. a tax on certain home commodities and on licenses for certain trades; the department in the civil administration which is concerned with this tax.—v.t. to subject to excise duty.—adj. Excis′able, liable to excise duty.—n. Excise′man, an officer charged with collecting the excise. [Old Dut. excijs—O. Fr. acceis, tax—Low L. accensāre, to tax—ad, to, census, tax.]

Excise, ek-sīz′, v.t. to cut off or out.—n. Exci′sion, a cutting out or off of any kind: extirpation. [L. excidĕre, to cut out—ex, out, cædĕre, to cut.]

Excite, ek-sīt′, v.t. to call into activity: to stir up: to rouse: to irritate.—ns. Excītabil′ity, Excīt′ableness.—adj. Excīt′able, capable of being excited, easily excited.—ns. Excitant (ek′sit-ant, or ek-sīt′ant), that which excites or rouses the vital activity of the body: a stimulant; Excitā′tion, act of exciting: means of excitement: state of excitement.—adjs. Excīt′ātive, Excīt′ātory, tending to excite.—p.adj. Excīt′ed, agitated.—ns. Excite′ment, agitation: that which excites; Excīt′er.—p.adj. Excīt′ing, tending to excite.—adj. Excī′to-mō′tor, exhibiting muscular contraction. [Fr.,—L. excitāre, -ātumexciēreex, out, ciēre, to set in motion.]